City promotes success of Roosevelt Boulevard speed cameras as program nears expiration
PHILADELPHIA - Ticketing cameras installed along Roosevelt Boulevard have lead to 95 percent fewer speeding violations and saved over two dozen lives, according to new data shared by the City of Philadelphia.
Roosevelt Boulevard has gained national recognition for being one of the most dangerous streets in the country. In response, Philadelphia approved Automated Speed Enforcement Program cameras in 2018, a 5-year pilot program that allowed speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard and in work zones.
The program, backed by a $78M grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, began in June 2020 with a 2-month warning period before it began ticketing speeders in August.
In the three-plus years following the program's inception, city data claims it's curtailed speeding by 95 percent, leading to a 21 percent reduction in fatal or serious crashes that resulted in serious injuries. Crashes that involved pedestrians crossing and walking along Roosevelt Boulevard have also fallen by 50 percent, according to the city.
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A data analysis on the safety of the speed cameras done by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania concluded that the Roosevelt Boulevard cameras saved just under one life per month, which the city says amounts to 36 lives since the program went live.
Three bills are currently being considered by the Pennsylvania government to continue and expand the Automated Speed Enforcement program, which expires at the end of the year. The most expansive bill, House Bill 1284, not only removes the program's expiration date but allows the city and PennDOT to coordinate on expanding ticketing cameras to other roads hampered by dangerous speeding.
"Roosevelt Boulevard is not the only corridor in Philadelphia where excessive speeds contribute to deaths and serious injuries," the city said in a release. "Speeding-related crashes have risen on corridors like Broad Street, Frankford Avenue, and Girard Avenue."
Two additional bills, House Bill 1662 and Senate Bill 748, would make speed cameras more permanent with tweaks, according to the city. The bills would not, however, allow for the expansion of speed cameras.
"Since speed cameras were installed on Roosevelt Boulevard, speeding-related crashes have gone down, and traffic safety is trending in the right direction," the city said. "The success on Roosevelt Boulevard shows the impact of speed cameras. Now, speed cameras need to be expanded to more corridors."